How To Make Elderberry Syrup & Lego Gummies

I have had several friends ask me WHY I haven't posted the recipe for the Elderberry Syrup Lego Gummies my kids have been eating all through the Fall and Winter Seasons!

I'm sorry.

And I really want to keep friends I dearly love (even though in my defense, I did make a few batches and shared this miracle goodness by just giving them the finished product -- I promise, I'm a good friend!)

I will make this brief, and what I will tell you is not a medically verified claim ( see Univ of Maryland Medical Center info {HERE} ), but I am absolutely convinced Elderberry Syrup is the reason my kids have spent all of the Fall and Winter Seasons cold and flu free so far... (famous last words. I know).

It kinda started with a huge batch of the syrup in early November. I shoved it down via syrup, then made gummies, then took the left over strained berries and made Elderberry Banana Muffins, get that recipe {HERE}.

Needless to say, I'll add this TMI note here, my little one was a bit freaked out by what was coming out of him every time he used the bathroom, but we got past that and managed to avoid every single one of the sickies we were exposed to, so purple poopin' or not, we're healthy!

A far less traumatic and much more pleasant outcome from this was having a fantastically fragrant kitchen for several days as the berry, cinnamon, cloves, orange peel aromas lingered.

The recommended dose is as follows:

As preventative:

1-2 TBSP/day for adults

1-2 TSP/day for children

When fighting sickies:

5-6 TBSP/day for adults

5-6 TSP/day for children

NOTE: It is important to emphasize that ONLY the berries of the Sambucus nigra variety are edible. Other species are poisonous, so be sure to buy from a reputable brand (I've linked one of the brands I use in the recipe below). Berries should be cooked and never ingested raw.

So, without further ado, here's what I personally use:

[I must also insert here the "nothing I say is medical advice and these are solely based on my own opinions, yaddayaddayadda".]

How To Make Elderberry Syrup and Gummies

elderberry syrup recipe

Ingredients:

3/4 cup dried elderberries

3 1/2 cup water

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp fresh (finely grated) or dried ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 cup local raw honey (*** this gets added AFTER the syrup cools)

Add all ingredients EXCEPT the honey to a medium sauce pan.

Bring to a boil, while stirring the ingredients then cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Remove from heat and allow to cool just slightly.

Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve into bowl.

Allow strained liquid to cool further and reserve the strained berries to add to muffins/cakes/smoothies, etc.

Add the honey and stir well (depending on your children's taste, you may add more honey for sweetness. Please remember honey is not recommended for children under 1 year old, you may sub with maple syrup instead.)

Store in air tight, sterilized glass jar. Syrup keeps for 2-3 months stored in the fridge.

Now to my kids' favorite part, and the reason I'm on the Favorite Mom list this week ...

elderberry lego gummies

Ok, clearly you can use ANY other shape and make whatever type of gummies you'd like! I've linked the Lego trays we used to make ours in the instructions below.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup elderberry syrup (recipe above)

2 tbsp Great Lakes gelatin

3 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice (you may experiment with any other no sugar added juice)

Mix gelatin into elderberry syrup, dissolving all the clumps and let sit for a minute. Add mixture and orange juice to small saucepan and heat just enough to get warm, but not hot, while stirring.

Pour into molds, using a small demi-spoon is helpful. Tap molds to release any air bubbles. Place in fridge for 2 hours for best results.

Makes 20 Lego minifigure gummies.

Here are some of the other fun molds you can use:

(Alphabet molds would be so fun for the littler ones!)

As I mentioned, I used the strained left over berries to make delicious Banana Elderberry Muffins. Get that easy Freezer-Ready, No Sugar recipe {HERE}!

Freezer Ready No Sugar Banana Muffins with Elderberry option

Let me know if you try this and how the kids enjoyed it!

Do you have some tried-and-true immunity-boosting remedies to keep your family healthy through the sickie season? Share them below, we love to hear from you!